


things we said

by sylveonimbus (cloud_sakura)



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Olympic!RH, PLEASE TELL ME IF ANY OF THE LINKS DON'T WORK SO I CAN FIX THEM, Social Media, because we need it, fake dating au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 01:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5072332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloud_sakura/pseuds/sylveonimbus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>did you even hear yourself?</p><p>or</p><p>the one where rinharu pretend to date and no one pretends they're not suffering in the aftermath</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [onaji_hoshi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/onaji_hoshi/gifts), [feverdreams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/feverdreams/gifts).



> to rian and hisa: YOU ASKED FOR THIS.
> 
> these will be drabbles, and i'm currently writing the next one because i have no chill.

It happens after his heat is over, and Haruka knows he always gets ambushed when he tries to leave first, but he figures he might as well get it over with. He just wants to go back and nap before the actual meet happens. Today has been a long day, and he'll let the reporters snarl some questions at him that he can ignore before he's bundled into the car. Sousuke looks less than impressed by this, because even his ridiculously tall frame can't keep them from closing in. Ah well, coach duties.

"...Matsuoka...anyone?"

Haruka's snapped back to attention by that, and quirks an eyebrow at the reporter. He gets asked this question nearly every time at swim meets, he should be used to it by now, but honestly it's kind of irritating at this point, no matter what Gou keeps saying about _image_.

"Of course, you've been spotted before with Matsuoka, and we'd all like to know -" the other one says eagerly, and Haruka holds up his hand, cutting off the man's rant. "What's your point?"

"So you're not denying it?"

He sighs. "Yes, why would I? It's obviously Matsuoka Rin. I've met no one else who's a match for me."

The reporters go still, and at least five cameras flash. One of them looks like they're about to faint with shock. He's not sure what potentially devastating thing he might have said this time, Rin has always been his best rival -

"So you're dating...the other Matsuoka?"

Wait, what?


	2. Chapter 2

Haruka can feel the air change with Matsuoka Gou's wrath before she actually descends upon him.

"You've done it now," Sousuke says darkly, and moves out of the way, because he's a faithless bastard like that.

"I trusted you," Haruka mutters, and then Gou is in his face, eyes sparkling with fury and - "I can't believe this. I cannot believe this, Haruka-senpai." Uh-oh, she's gone back to that old term. Haruka's going to get an earful now. "All these years I've known and rooted for the two of you -" Wait, what? And why is Sousuke snickering, what the hell? "That time I actually brought you together -" What is she - "That time I _asked_ you if you were interested..."

"There she goes," Sousuke comments from his corner of the room. Haruka isn't sure why he keeps him around if all he wants to do some days is strangle him. "And you, Sousuke!" she turns on him this time, and Haruka's glad because he actually backs up a few steps. "What did you do about this situation? Didn't you stop him?"

"Hey, I'm his coach, not his babysitter," the Cain says, and sends a smirk in Haruka's direction. Gou appears to calm down for all of two seconds before she starts again. "But why didn't you attempt to salvage this entire thing!"

" _What are you talking about,_ " he finally interrupts, bewildered. Okay, he's fucked up, but it's not...that bad, right? They were tabloids anyway, it's their job to spread gossip about people. Right?

...Okay, that's definitely fury in her eyes now. She advances on him, and he moves away, wincing at the increasing volume of her words. "I'm your PR agent! I could have handled this with far better grace and even a wedding announcement! A press conference! This could have only urged on your career! But no, I just had to let you do your thing and Nagisa was always, oh, be _patient_ , Gou, _be patient_! Well, fuck that! I'm going to turn you both into hospital patients! Especially my stupid brother!"

Haruka is beginning to comprehend now, dread taking root in his heart. "Oh."

"Yes, _oh_. And I still can't believe I, _of all people involved_ , had to find out my brother was dating you through a _news channel!_ "

The dread begins to grow. "Um, Gou?"

She isn't listening. "There's so much cleanup I have to do now, oh Gods, couldn't you have started off small? With social networks? Where you'd actually find support, you know?!"

Sousuke starts snickering. Haruka is going to send out a request to the administration for a new coach soon enough. However, the administration seems to be suffering from a very major misunderstanding. "Gou. we're not actually -" His phone rings, and he fishes it out of his pocket. "Wait, let me take this."

It's a message notification.

Haruka closes the phone, and takes a deep breath. "Did Rin take the car to the gym today? He didn't notify me."

Gou looks a bit thrown off. "No, I don't think he did? He usually runs there, you should know that."

Haruka does, and for the first time in a very long time, wonders if a God exists. "I think he might need a ride."

"Shouldn't his boyfriend volunteer?" Sousuke points out, and Haruka is going to _kill_ him.


	3. Chapter 3

Luke's a nice enough guy, although Rin usually spaces out a lot while talking to him for the simple reason that he talks so much about so much shit that it flies straight over his head. He's not this bad of a listener, but gym demands intensive concentration, and he's already sure that Haruka has managed to beat his heat record already, so he needs to up his training today. Maybe he'll shoot him a text after he's done with a hundred pushups. Bolstered by the idea, he gets off the cycle and stretches his arms out. He ties back his loose hair, and raises an eyebrow at Luke, who's staring at him from the other cycle, and obviously not doing his regime. "Is there something on my face?" Some of the machines do have grease on them, and he probably stinks. He's not sure where people got the idea that working out is hot, because it _is_ , but not in ways you'd expect.

"Not at all," Luke says hurriedly. He goes back to cycling, and Rin shrugs. He gets out his mat and lies down, bringing his knees up. "You can tell me if I look weird."

"You don't," the guy assures him again, this time in a decidedly strangled voice, and Rin gets to work. His phone rings on the window ledge where he's kept his flask and towel, but he ignores it. Nagisa's probably spamming him with Snapchats of his ice cream. He should've turned his phone off.

The phone keeps beeping. One of the other guys seem a little puzzled, slowing down on the treadmill. "Uh, should I get that for you?"

"Leave it be," Rin advises, mentally counting to fifty. He'll get it after he's done.

"Holy shit!" the guy from earlier yelps, jerking away from the buzzing, and Rin sits up, murder in his eyes. ( _There were only forty more pushups, damnit!_ ) He gets to his feet, ties back his hair again (honestly, he needs to cut it all off this time) and walks towards the window. The phone is still beeping. He slides open the lockscreen and comes face to face with twenty seven message notifications and _not even one Snapchat_.

Something's wrong. Rin feels a chill down his neck that has nothing to do with the air conditioners in the gym. He opens the last message to see what the fuss is about.

"What," Rin says out loud. It's not even a question - he has absolutely no idea what any of that is supposed to mean. He scrolls up, but apparently Nagisa hasn't sent him any messages besides that. He probably knows he's in gym. The other notifications are from random friends in the local club here, and from Rei, Makoto and Gou. He opens Rei's first.

 

Before Rin's brain can piece together what he's trying to say, the phone starts ringing in his hand.

It's from Haruka, of course. That makes sense, he's probably being pranked the same way right now. He picks up on the first dial.

"Rin," Haruka says, before he can get in a word edgewise. He sounds even more terse than normal. "Have you gotten out of the gym yet?"

"No, no I haven't, I still have an hour to spare. Why?" He can hear arguing in the background, and it vaguely sounds like Gou's grumbling while Sousuke tries to pacify her. "Are my sister and Sousuke with you?"

"Never mind that. Stay put, _do not look out of the windows or check your phone_. I'm coming to pick you up." The call goes on dial tone, and Rin stares into the phone quizzically. It beeps again, and he puts it back on the ledge, even though he's internally dying of curiosity. After all, if something had gone horribly awry, Gou would have let him know. By calling and yelling at him, probably. Her text can't be that important if she didn't snatch the phone from Haruka. She'd tell him if he was going to be mobbed by fans, right?

"Hey, Matsuoka?" one of the guys by the other window says. "There's a fucking huge crowd outside, did your fangirls finally find you?"

"No - what?" Nonplussed, he does the exact thing Haruka had told him to avoid. He looks out of the window.

 

His phone beeps again in his pocket. He takes it out again and opens it on autopilot.

He types back, trying to think rationally.

Rin turns notifications off, slides the phone back into his pocket and walks back to his mat, trying to breath normally. He can hear faint sounds from - obviously the outraged lady receptionist who can't be bothered to attend to all those people at once. There's a buzz of conversation in the gym now, but since most of them don't know him that well, he supposes that they'll leave him alone. Except Luke is looking at him strangely now.

"Uh, Matsuoka," Luke says. "I'm not judging or anything, I mean, it obviously means you love them a lot but-"

"What?" Rin snaps.

"...Taylor Swift, dude? Really?"

"...I can explain."

"Sure." He looks knowing as he goes back to cycling, and Rin bites back a retort, wondering why his face is burning. The ringtone was an inside joke, anyway.

Right?


	4. Chapter 4

Luke is not interested in Rin Matsuoka. Honest. Not even a little bit.

However, the man's tits are literally in his face, and Matsuoka is looking down at him very seriously, and Matsuoka is the kind of internationally acclaimed superstar who coincidentally has one of the finest bodies mankind has made, so -

Okay, so maybe he's a little interested. Sheesh. It's just a little crush. And Matsuoka actually listens to him sometimes, at least five percent of the time, and even if he doesn't want to go out for a coffee one of these days, that's more than he can say for his last girlfriend. It's not like he has a chance anyway, that ringtone clearly meant that he has a girlfriend. Datefriend. Whatever. Either way, he's a comforting presence and he's covered for Luke's ass this last few weeks whenever he came in late and his personal trainer was on a rampage, so he definitely owes it to him to agree with whatever he's saying right now.

"So can you do this for me? We're nearly the same, anyway." Matsuoka's hair is really nice when it's not in his ponytail.

"You should leave that out, Matsuoka," he blurts. "Um. You look...different, that way." Oh shit, he must have said that out loud. Rin raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, and nods. "Guess that's good. I'll probably be back the day after tomorrow anyway, but could you text me your address just in case?"

"Uh." He fumbles, getting out his phone. (Holy shit I'm getting his number!) Matsuoka takes it from his hands and types his number in. "Send me the address whenever, okay? I'll return them."

"Sure!" he chirps, and Matsuoka hands him his phone back with a dazzling, shark-teethed grin, (they really _are_ as jagged as the media makes it sound!) and says, "See you later then, Luke!" He salutes and makes his way towards the locker room, and one of the guys from across the room frowns at him. Luke can't care less, because he's looking at his phone, and his hands are shaking. The new contact says _Rin_.

First name basis. FIRST NAME BASIS.

"Not to rain on your parade, mate," the beefy blond guy on the treadmill says, "but are you sure that was a good idea? You do kinda look similar without the hair, you know, and those fans are still outside."

Luke snaps out of his delight. "Huh?"

As if to add insult to injury, the guy, whom he has decided is his archnemesis, looks him up and down, and says. "And the - well, everything."

"I'm heading out, thanks Luke!" Rin says, emerging from the rooms in record time. "I'll shower at home, or something, thanks for the clothes!" He claps him on the back, and that's when Luke registers that Rin is wearing his jacket and his shorts over his gym outfit, and before he can process that, he's gone in a whirl of hair.

"Oh," Luke says to no one in particular. "Shit."

He's going to have to _wear Rin's clothes home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Luke White (we are all him)


End file.
